Beneath the Blood Moon
by kickcows
Summary: Lunatic is out and taking justice into his own hands. The heroes are called in, interrupting two certain heroes from some 'fun' time. Rated M for: lemon, adult situations, violence.


**I just finished watching this entire series and thought I would take a try at writing something. This story is set after the series finale. The characters may seem OoC at times, but I've chosen it to be this way due to the nature of the story. Warning: character death. The story is rated M for a reason. Sunrise, Inc. owns Tiger and Bunny, I own nothing.**

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><p>He stared out at the bustling city of Sternbild, his amber eyes reflecting off of the glass as he watched the civilians as they shuffled back and forth between point A and point B. Off in the distance, he could see the familiar shape of Keith Goodman, also known as Sky High, flying through the air. Keith was always watching the city, even though it was not necessary. He took it upon himself to make sure that the populace was more than safe. He shook his head and continued to look out at the skyline, and began to watch as the moon faded from its yellowish hue and became a soft crimson. At the top of the tallest tower, a figure stood, aqua flames glowing in the darkness. He heard the distinct sound of a door sliding open, but did not bother to address it.<p>

"Are you coming back to bed?" A sleep-deprived voice asked, coming up behind him. He sighed softly as the person encircled their arms around his waist, resting their head against his shoulder blade. "Why are you even awake right now?"

Kotetsu shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." A simple enough answer. "Looks like Lunatic has decided to take justice into his own hands."

"What?" The person's arms dropped from around his body, stepping to the side to stand next to him. They both stood front of the large bay windows. "Do you think we'll be called?"

Kotetsu turned and looked at his lover standing next to him. "No way. Not the second league. Unless you feel the need to go and help? I mean, you're not obligated to stay with me because you think we have to be partners."

"Ojiisan..." Barnaby shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way. Why must you always bring up the fact that we're on the second league?"

"It's a fact. What's wrong with that?" He turned away from the cityscape, not wishing to know where it was that Lunatic was going. He would rather stay ignorant, that is, until they got a call from headquarters. No call, no problem. He ran a hand through his hair, walking across the very spacious room. "Are you coming back to bed?"

"I was the one that asked that question first," Barnaby muttered. Kotetsu chuckled softly, a little happiness floating through his body at the grumblings of his partner and lover. _Lover._ "Why don't you want to go and see what he's doing?"

The door swished open, revealing Barnaby's large bedroom. "You know why." Kotetsu walked across the floor and flopped back down on the bed, shoving the large pink bunny off of his side of the bed. It landed on the floor in a haphazard way, one ear stuck underneath its body. Another small smile appeared on his face, remembering when he had purchased that bunny for the man flopping back down on the bed beside him.

"I don't understand." Long, fanned out blonde locks fell on the pillow as jade colored eyes looked at him. Kotetsu let out a loud sigh. "What?"

"How can you say that you don't understand? I am in debt to him for killing the man who killed Kaede." He closed his eyes, the memories still so fresh, even though the murder had happened over seven months ago.

_It was supposed to have been a routine capture. The heroes had been called in because of a hostage situation at a mall. What Kotetsu hadn't known was that his daughter had been at the mall, shopping with a few of her friends from his hometown. The 'heroes' had had the situation with the hostages and the men who were responsible. However, Agnes had felt it would be appropriate to call in the second league as well. "It makes for better television," she had said. As the second league had been dealing with removing the hostages, one of the perpetrators began to fire off shots wildly. Both Kotetsu and Barnaby had exhausted their Hundred Power, having thought the battle had been declared over. If only he hadn't used up his power, Kotetsu might have been able to stop what had happened. No one could get to her in time. He stood, helpless, as he watched a chunk of wall fly out and land on her head, instantly killing her. He was still haunted by that look of horror in her eyes, Kotetsu screaming his head off, trying to race across the hundred yards that had separated them. _Otosan! _She had screamed in his head. The last power she had absorbed had been a NEXT that was able to communicate telepathically. _I'm coming Kaede! Daddy will save you! _But it hadn't been enough. It was never enough. When he had gotten to her, she was already gone. Her body had still been glowing a faint blue. The last thought she had shouted at him was that she had loved him. He had collapsed on the ground, clutching her body to him. _If only she had been closer to Rock Bison...or had taken on the power of a NEXT that could protect her.

_A part of him had died that day. _

_The man that had fired the wild shots had been apprehended and placed in the back of a police van. All three men that were involved were put into that van. Going through the motions, Kotetsu had gotten into the side car that was attached to Barnaby's motorcycle. They had been given the task to make sure the van had made it safely to the prison across the river. They were racing across the Brox Bridge, cars moving out of their way - for no one ever got in the way of the heroes. He had looked up and saw that the moon had changed color, but couldn't find it in him to inform his partner, who was concentrating on the road. _

_An arrow had pierced the back of the armored car, the arrow engulfed in the greenish-blue flame. Barnaby had slammed on the brakes, forcing Kotetsu to grab hold of the sidecar, just to make sure he didn't become road rash. _

"_What are you doing?" Barnaby had shouted as the bike had come to a stop. Lunatic, the man who favored the use of arrows, was high up above them, standing on one of the cables. "They're going to be put behind bars!" _

"_They deserve what is coming to them," Lunatic said, his head moving back and forth as he talked to them. "An innocent life was taken. Your partner's daughter, yes?" _

_Kotetsu had no energy to agree or deny the claim. If the man wanted to kill the bastard, then he was fine with that. "What does that matter? What you do isn't justice! It's murder! You're equally as guilty as they are!" Barnaby continued to yell. _

_Three arrows flew across the sky, each seeking refuge in its own human. All three men began to scream as they had burned alive. A small voice in his head told Kotetsu that he should be getting up and racing over to the van as Barnaby had done, but he couldn't see the point. What was done was done. Just like what had happened to Kaede. She was gone. His only link to Tomoe. Now, both women were gone from him, forever. _

"_Kotetsu!" Barnaby hollered, trying to extinguish the men. "Kotetsu-san, get up and help me!" _

_He stood up from the bike and had looked up at the sky. Lunatic, still perched high above, was watching him. He gave a low bow, a silent thanks to the insane NEXT who had done a deed he would never have been able to do. The masked man gave a mock salute and took off quickly, flying away in the night. _

The smaller man began to move closer to him, resting his head on broad chest. "I know that you miss her a lot. But...it doesn't mean the man deserved to die that way."

"Bunny..." Kotetsu began to run his right hand up and down his back, enjoying how the soft, sculpted skin felt beneath his fingers. He was still impressed with how soft Barnaby was. He had never even thought about being with him in this fashion. He had always just been a partner. But after he had lost everything that he had loved, it wasn't that much of a step to be with the only person he trusted with his life.

"Let me help you forget," Barnaby said, lifting his head up. "I don't like it when you get in these moods." His soft lips pressed against Kotetsu's chest, causing him to arch his back. "Mmm...that's much better..."

He did his best to relax, trying to allow his Bunny to help him let go of the pain he had racing through his body. He groaned low as Barnaby's tongue began to move across his soft nipple, making it become hard with the applied pressure of the blonde's mouth. His hand began to move lower, down his partner's back as he moved it delicately down Barnaby's spine as Barnaby kept his mouth against his nipple. Reaching his backside, Kotetsu gave the man's ass a firm squeeze, eliciting a soft moan from him. Even now, it made his heart pick up in speed when he heard the man on top of him moan in that fashion.

_It had happened a few months after the "incident". They had been sent out on a small assignment. Always small assignments. Agnes did not want to push the man out of his comfort zone. Kotetsu resented her for that. He resented all of them for treating him like he was a delicate flower He just wanted to go out and save people. That's what heroes did. Even if he only had his hundred power for a minute, it didn't matter. He was still a NEXT. _

_He had grown frustrated and began to vent his anger on a punching dummy. No one was around. No one was ever in the Justice Tower exercise room at that time of night, unless they had just fought a difficult fight, and had needed to work off steam. But the city had been fairly quiet, so most of the heroes only used the facility when they really needed it. Which suited Kotetsu just fine because it gave him more time to be alone and unleash his raw power. _

_Brutally punching the bag with his bare fists, he hadn't heard the door to the exercise room open and close. "Ojiisan..." A hand was placed on his shoulder, making him turn around and almost hit the person that was standing behind him. _

"_Bunny!" He yelled, dropping his hands. He panted hard. "What...why are you here?" His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, from both the exertion and the scare that the man before him had given him. _

_His partner pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I could hear you from the office down the hallway. I wanted to make sure you were alright. But since you almost hit me, I think I should just leave you alone." He had begun to walk off, but Kotetsu realized he didn't want him to go. _

"_Bunny-chan...please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. I mean, almost hit you! I mean -" He groaned, placing his hand on his head, shaking it slowly. He saw that the blonde had stopped, and was still close to him. _Why do I want to reach out and pull him back to me?_ Instead of questioning his mind, he had done exactly that. Reaching out, he pulled the clothed man back to him and felt his heart stop at the soft noise that Barnaby had made. He felt a white heat race across his body as he let go of the man. "G-G-Gomennasai!" He stuttered, his face bright red. _

"_It's fine," Barnaby raised his hand up to his face, pushing his glasses back up. "I should let you get back to your workout." _

_The blonde had yet to move from being so close to him. Kotetsu could feel the heat radiating off of him, even with his two-toned leather coat hanging precariously off of his body. _I've never been with a man. What if he's not into men? What am I doing?_ The more questions that filled his head, the more Kotetsu found himself inching closer and closer to his partner's body. _

"_If you're letting me get back to my workout," Kotetsu spoke softly, leaning his head towards the blonde's ear. He saw the man's entire being shiver. Raising up his hand, he pushed some of the flared locks away from the covered ear, pushing it behind the soft cartilage. "If you're letting me get back to it, why are you still...standing...here?" He punctuated the last three words, clipping off each word, his cheek resting against the side of the blonde's head. _

_Barnaby had stood still. "I...I don't know." _

"_Come with me." Kotetsu dropped his sweat towel, leaving it by the punching dummy. If he was going to have this discussion with his partner, he did not want it to be in front of any hidden cameras or hidden microphones. He said a silent prayer that the man had followed him into the locker rooms. _

_Turning around, he saw that the blonde had indeed followed him. And the look in his eyes, _that look_, it was something he had not seen since before Tomoe had become ill. It held a look of want, desire, and something else. Something he wasn't sure of. He found himself cornered, pushed up against the lockers. "Bunny...?" He asked, unsure of what else to say. _

"_If we do this...there's no going back." Barnaby had said with a finite tone. "This line...this line cannot be uncrossed." _

_He closed his eyes and sighed. "I know..." Kotetsu began to radiate his own heat. "I know that." _

"_And you're sure you want to do this?" Barnaby placed both of his hands on the lockers, trapping Kotetsu. "Because this is it, ojiisan. This is the one time you can say no." _

"_You mean you're going to force me to have sex?" Kotetsu couldn't stop the stupid question from leaving his mouth. His eyes widened in horror. "Oh, shit. I didn't mean-" _

_Barnaby placed a hand against his mouth. "Stop talking. I'm not going to force you to have sex. I just meant that I won't do this again to you if you say you're not comfortable with it." _

"_I...I haven't been with a guy before," Kotetsu shrugged, his eyes and smile turning to a slight smile grimace. "I don't even know..." _

_His partner raised up his hand, the black ring on his left index finger reflecting the fluorescent light of the bathroom onto his glasses. "I can teach you. Or, you can learn on your own."_

"_But..." Kotetsu began to have doubts. "What...what if this doesn't work?" He fidgeted against the lockers, unsure of what was likely to happen. _

"_Let me take away your pain, Kotetsu." The way the man had said his name had been his undoing. _

"_Please..." He closed his eyes again. "I just...I just want to feel again." _

"_I know..."_

He grabbed more of the blonde's tight ass in his hands, groaning in harmony as Barnaby kept sucking on his nipple. Arching his back, Kotetsu pushed against Barnaby's mouth, aching for it to be on another part of his body. The things that the man had made him feel when they first began doing things? No woman had ever made him feel that way. As much as it pained him to admit it, Tomoe had never achieved what Barnaby was able to do to him without even trying.

"Kotetsu," the blonde pulled his mouth away from his chest. "Do you want to feel me?"

Groaning low, the brunette nodded. "Always." His partner raked his fingers down his chest, making him moan loud. "Aahh..."

"Alright," Barnaby whispered.

The blonde shifted his weight on the bed, settling between the older man's legs. Kotetsu watched as the man removed his glasses, setting them on the night stand, next to his red wristband. Kotetsu's was on the opposite nightstand, on the side of the bed he was accustomed to taking. As Barnaby began to move back to a more comfortable position, both of their wristbands began to flash 'Call'. The two of them stared at each other, both of their eyes widening in surprise.

"Quick!" Barnaby got up from the bed and grabbed Kotetsu's green wristband and threw it at him. "Get into the bathroom!"

Kotetsu sighed, getting up from the bed. "You ashamed to be with your partner like this, Bunny?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer from the man, as the bathroom door slid open and closed behind him. He prayed that Agnes wouldn't be able to tell he was in a bathroom, especially if it was Barnaby's. He tried to think of a time that his partner had answered a call, but couldn't place him ever being in the bathroom. Staring down at the flashing green lettering, almost flashing with a sense of anger, he pressed the center and watched as the small screen popped up. There was Agnes, holding her headset to her face.

"Bonjour, heroes. We have an emergency. I need everyone to group in the Northwest sector of silver stage. Sky High is already on the scene." Agnes looked at something off of the screen. "Tiger and Barnaby, I know you're no longer on the main league, but I'm calling you into action with them because I know you handled a situation such as this before you two went to the second league." Agnes stared at the screen. "Tiger, why are you in the dark?"

Stuttering, the man didn't know what to say. "Uh...I...I..."

"He's probably over at some onna's house," Karina, already in her outfit as Blue Rose, sniffed.

"Ma-te!" Kotetsu shook his head back and forth. "No! No, that's not it!" Both he and Barnaby had decided to not tell the others what had been going on between the two of them, figuring that no one needed to know about it. But here he was, being pegged as being at some random woman's house, when that wasn't even close to the truth.

"Ojiisan, don't be shy," Barnaby spoke up. Kotetsu groaned and rolled his eyes.

Agnes cleared her throat. "May I have everyone's attention again?"

"You're the one that pointed it out in the first place," Kotetsu murmured, glaring at his own reflection in the bathroom. He heard Karina giggle, which made him feel a little bit better about it.

Agnes shook her head. "Wild Tiger, Saito will meet you at Barnaby's place with both of your suits. So, please try and say goodbye to your lady friend as quickly as possible. You two will meet up with Blue Rose." He heard the once giggling girl begin to protest on the other line. Agnes paid no attention to her. "The city needs your help." The transmission ended without a final goodbye.

Opening the bathroom door, Kotetsu glared at his lover, who was grinning playfully on the bed. "Well, I guess you had better get here soon?" Barnaby said with a smirk on his face.

"Baka," he huffed, jumping on the bed, pinning his lover beneath him. "Do you know how bad I want you right now? But no...we have to go out and help the others." He pushed his hips forward, pressing his very erect arousal against the blonde's. "Can you feel that?"

"Of course I can," Barnaby said, his voice coming out in a half-moan, half-bark, as he pushed back with his hips. "But we need to go. At least we don't have to make up an excuse. You were called here." The smirk on Barnaby's face was growing.

"Ooooh..." Kotetsu got up off the man and started to put his clothes back on. "Stop that. I'm mad at you."

"Aww, why?" Barnaby put his glasses on, pushing the small frames up his nose. "What did I do?"

Kotetsu huffed. "It isn't what you did, it's what you _didn't_ do."

"Ojiisan..." Barnaby walked over to the door leading out to the living room. Kotetsu stared at him as he struggled to put his shoes on without falling over. "Hurry up, would you?" Barnaby moved away from the door, it swishing closed behind him.

Falling onto the bed on his back, Kotetsu let out a loud, frustrated groan. "All I wanted was to have some good old fashioned sex! But no, the one night I say it's fine for Lunatic to go out and take care of what needs to be done, and this is what happens? Now I have to get out there, with no sex." He grumbled to himself, finally getting his shoes to cooperate with him.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Barnaby stood at the door once more. "Hurry up, Saito-san just telephoned and said he was downstairs."

Kotetsu stood up and walked over to his partner. "You had better believe that when we're done, you and I will be doing naughty things to each other." He bit back a laugh as the man's jade eyes widened in surprise. Kotetsu slapped the man's firm ass as he walked passed him, chuckling at the yelp he had elicited from him. Standing at the front door, he looked back as Barnaby ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing out the flips. "Uh...Bunny-chan? We need to go," Kotetsu walked out of the apartment and headed towards the elevator.

When they arrived at the main floor, the large trailer was parked out front. They could see Saito standing at the opening, his mouth moving, but no sound was emitting past those lips. "Oy!" Kotetsu said, walking up towards the man. "We can't hear you!"

The scientist kept whispering as the two heroes made their way inside. They watched him place a helmet on his head, and both jumped as the man's voice became amplified.

"We need to get you out of here right away!" The quiet man's voice was high pitched with nervousness. "Sky High wasn't able to help keep Lunatic at bay! Hurry! Get ready!"

Standing where his suit would be graffed onto him, Kotetsu shook his head. "So, Lunatic isn't finished?"

"No!" Saito's voice echoed through the large expanse of the bus. Closing his eyes, he groaned as he watched the suit mold to his body. "Now, hurry! But don't exhaust your power too fast!"

Being reminded of his limited power, even though it was proudly advertised on his back, made Kotetsu's heart ache. He hated that his power had kept declining, but his partner's had stayed at a full five minutes. The bitterness he had been feeling before was quickly seeping back into his consciousness. He startled as he felt Barnaby's hand on his shoulder, the light bouncing off of the pink armor.

"Don't," Barnaby said quietly, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Kotetsu nodded and pulled his face shield down.

"We're here!" Saito shouted before Kotetsu could say something to his partner. "Hurry up! Blue Rose is caught with nowhere to go!"

Groaning, Kotetsu shook his head. "Bunny-chan..."

"I know. Don't activate until you say so." The two walked over to the opening. "Don't be foolish, ojiisan."

Blue Rose skid by the entrance, her ice creating a ramp of sorts as she raced away from the subject that was pursuing her. "Oy!" Kotetsu shouted, looking at the man who was holding up a very large gun. "Why don't you just give up!"

The man holding the large gun laughed. "You're the one that's been called in to save her? You? The minute man?" The man activated his gun. "She doesn't stand a chance."

"Do you really think that is wise?" A voice from up above called out. Looking up, Kotetsu groaned again, wishing he was not out here and was back in bed with a certain blonde. The moon had turned back to its crimson color. "You hurt him, then you'll have to deal with my brand of justice." Lunatic waved his crossbow around, moving erratically.

"Kotetsu!" Barnaby shouted, racing towards them. "Blue Rose is fine! Take the arrest!"

The older of the two quickly moved, kicking the gun out of the man's hand. "It's over." He bent down to pick up the weapon, but he wasn't paying attention. The man kicked him in the chest, making him fall to the ground as he had the wind knocked out of him.

"No!" Barnaby shouted, taking the arrest for himself. Kotetsu didn't care about points, he just wanted to make sure that he didn't witness any sort of justice. Looking up, he saw that Lunatic was holding the crossbow to be parallel to his chest.

Struggling to stand up, Kotetsu shook his head. "Please don't." Lunatic lowered the weapon, tilting his head to the side.

"Why should I listen to you?"

"I'm asking you to repay this favor to me," Kotetsu said, raising the shield of his mask up, showing off his black eye mask. "Just this once."

The eyes on Lunatic's mask flashed blue-green for a moment. "Very well. But just this once." Before Kotetsu was able to say something else, the man vanished from thin air.

"What was that about?" Barnaby asked, pushing the shield up so that everyone could see his face. "Why did he leave?"

The police collected the man that Barnaby had arrested. "I asked him to. As a favor." Kotetsu shrugged, not really thinking twice about it. He understood the man had his own way of dealing with things. He may not agree with them most of the time, but when they came in handy, he did. "Come on, I want to get out of this suit."

They walked back into the trailer and stood in the chamber, the mech suits coming off quickly. "Saito-san?" Barnaby said. "Can you drop the both of us off at Kotetsu-san's place?"

"Hai!" The man shouted over the intercom. "We're just a block away!"

His amber eyes looked over at the man who was putting his glasses back on. "What gives? Why did you want to be dropped off at my place?" Barnaby had never asked to be dropped off at his place after any of the missions. The two of them would go back to headquarters, never wanting to overstep their bounds with their sponsors. It didn't feel right to be using the company's transport to be their taxi service. At least, that's how Kotetsu saw it. But apparently Barnaby had no issue with it.

"Ojiisan," Barnaby said, shaking his head. "Quite over thinking things. I knew we were close to your place. In fact, to get back to Headquarters, we were going to drive right by."

The trailer came to a stop. "Okay! We're here! See you boys tomorrow!" The door opened, letting the two men out in front of Kotetsu's house. Unlike Barnaby, he chose to live in a proper house instead of a luxurious apartment. Sure, he could have lived in a place like his partner, but he had lived in this house since he had been with Tomoe, and did not feel the need to change because he was now just one person living in the house, instead of the three that had been there at one time. He dug his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. Standing to the side on the porch, he allowed his partner to enter first. Following him in, Kotetsu shut the door behind him, and was quickly pressed against the door, his back making contact as he let out a soft grunt at the strength behind the push. He looked down and saw Barnaby's eyes flashing a bright blue. "Bunny? Why...?" He couldn't understand why his partner had decided to activate his powers.

Barnaby held Kotetsu against the door, his body glowing a faint blue. "Why didn't you bother to help?"

"I was help-" He was cut off as Barnaby pushed against his sternum. "Oy! Knock it off!" He felt his own powers activate, his amber eyes becoming the same shade of blue as Barnaby's. He pushed back against the blonde, watching as he stumbled across the floor. "What's with the violence!"

"I needed you to take that arrest!" Barnaby shouted, his shoulders heaving as he tried to regain the breath he had just had knocked out of him. "Why were you being so stubborn?"

Walking across the distance to be near the blonde, Kotetsu shook his head. "I don't need points, you know that."

"Kotetsu," Barnaby's voice was strained. "You do and you know it. Why did you just let me take it?"

He began to walk past his partner, going towards the stairs. "I don't know," he said truthfully. "I just wasn't in it tonight. I really don't have any problems with Lunatic taking out known murderers or obstructors of justice. Why not let him kill them off? They'll just sit in jail, rotting away for the rest of their lives, being housed by the tax payer's money. One less criminal isn't going to matter." He stopped mid-way up the stairs as a pair of arms encircled his waist. His voice quietened. "Please, I'm tired. I just would like to go and lay down."

"No," Barnaby said, keeping his arms around the man's waist. "What you're saying, ojiisan, you're only saying because of what happened to Kaede."

The words rang true in Kotetsu's ears. He didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth. Had his daughter not died that day, then he would still be trying to stop the man known as Lunatic. But, since she wasn't alive, and he had helped get rid of the man responsible for her death, he couldn't find a part of him that cared. "So?"

"So? So, what happened to the Wild Tiger I knew? What happened to the man that cared more about helping people than anything on this planet? What happened to the man that told me it wasn't about the points but was about making sure the people are safe?" Barnaby's face rested against the small of his back as he kept hugging Kotetsu.

A single tear fell from his right eye as he sighed softly. "I couldn't protect her. I couldn't protect the one person that mattered most to me in my life. Why should I care about helping others when the one person I couldn't help is dead because of it?" He punched the wall, exhausting the last of his powers, his frustration manifesting as a whole in the wall.

"No one had any way of knowing that was going to happen," Barnaby's voice was soft. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that."

He crumpled on the stairs, breaking down into tears. "I can't help it. Ever since then, everyone has been treating me like I'm damaged. Like I can't take the strain of fighting. But it's what I want to do. And yet, Agnes keeps me on assignments like keeping the peace. How am I supposed to consider myself a hero by doing just that?"

Barnaby fell with him, keeping his arms wrapped protectively around him. "Then tell her that you want more grueling assignments. I'm sure she was just doing that to allow you more time to grieve. As soon as Kaede was gone, you took no time off, except for the funeral. You're not allowing yourself to properly mourn."

"I don't want to!" Kotetsu bellowed, his voice echoing through the still house. "I hate thinking about it! I hate knowing that she's gone and she's never coming back!" He began to sob silently, unashamed of his tears. "Did...did I ever tell you what happened?"

Keeping his arms wrapped securely around him, Barnaby shook his head. "No, we've never really spoken about it. I...I didn't want to bring up any painful memories."

"The last NEXT she had touched had the power of telecommunication," he whispered. He heard Barnaby gasp, the blonde immediately understanding what that meant. "Now do you see why I don't want to mourn?" He sniffled, trying to stop more tears from falling. He placed his arms around his partner's, holding on to them firmly. "To hear her crying for me, and I couldn't get there in time..."

"Kotetsu-san," Barnaby spoke softly. "I...I had no idea..."

Letting go of Barnaby's arms, he stood up. "No one did. I never told anyone. I didn't want any more sympathy. If people knew that, it would be almost impossible to perform any sort of duty as a hero." He looked down at his partner who was still sitting on the stairs. "But now you know. Are you going to treat me different now?" The words had a hint of harshness behind them, unable to stop his recent frustration from slipping out again.

"Of course not," Barnaby stood up on the stairs. "I love you, Kotetsu. I'm not going to treat you any different because what's done is done. We can't change the past. All we can do is move forward. Which you seem to be having a hell of a time doing."

Kotetsu stood there, his mouth slightly open. "What...what did you just say?"

"I said that what's done is done. We can't do anything about it. Why live in the past?" Barnaby said, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, before that," Kotetsu said, still standing very still.

"What? That I love you?" Barnaby said. "Is there something wrong with admitting that? It's how I feel. It's how I've felt for a very long time, even before any of this happened."

"Why...?"

"Because of who you are. I think I fell in love with you the first time you fell into my arms. Even though you pushed my buttons like no one else could." The blonde looked away, the moonlight hitting his glasses, making it difficult to see his eyes. "This...this was probably not the right time to say anything, but you seem so lost. Don't be lost, Kotetsu. I meant it when I said I wanted to take away the pain. I just want to hear you laugh and see you smile again. Like you used to. Like you were before Kaede moved on from this place."

"Bunny..." Kotetsu didn't know what to say. _Love? He loves me?_ Before he could say anything else, he was scooped up into Barnaby's arms. "W-W-What are you doing?" He wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck, not wanting to fall on the stairs.

"Relax," Barnaby said, walking up the flight of stairs. He headed towards the door on the left at the end of the hallway. "I'm tired of standing on that staircase." Juggling the man for a second, Barnaby opened the door and dropped him on the bed. "Take off your clothes."

"Huh?" Kotetsu said, watching his partner close the door. "Take off my clothes?" He watched Barnaby begin to shed his clothes. "Oy, what are you doing?"

"Ojiisan," Barnaby set his glasses on top of his neatly folded clothes. "You're my lover, yes?" Kotetsu nodded, staring transfixed by the man's lithe body. "Then what seems to be the problem?"

"Just get right to it, is that it?" Kotetsu said, doing as he was told by removing his clothes quickly. He couldn't believe that the blonde had just taken charge. But, really, he was grateful for the lack of thinking on his part. He really couldn't focus on much right now, his emotions were still running rampant from seeing Lunatic, to telling Barnaby the truth about what had happened when Kaede died. He watched the lithe figure sit down on the bed and watched as he crawled over to him on his hands and knees. "B-B-Bunny?"

Barnaby smirked, sitting between his legs. "When are you going to call me by my real name? You'd think that with the both of us in your bed, naked, you would address me by that. But no, it's always going to be Bunny to you, isn't it?" He bent his head down and began to lick Kotetsu's semi-erect arousal.

Moaning low, Kotetsu reached down and threaded his fingers through the soft blonde locks. Barnaby let out a soft chuckle as he swiped his tongue across the tip, lapping at the salty liquid that had begun to secrete from his now very erect arousal. Kotetsu's hand tightened in his hair as Barnaby's tongue continued to rub against the sensitive tip, making the older man moan louder.

"That's it, Kotetsu," Barnaby said, licking him more. He slipped his mouth over Kotetsu's arousal, swallowing him down his throat. Kotetsu cried out at the quickness of it all, his fingers all but yanking on the blonde's follicles. Barnaby let out a low moan, sucking on him gently. The feel of Barnaby's lips and tongue on him was pushing Kotetsu close to the edge.

Bucking his hips gently, he pushed himself further into his lover's mouth. "B-Barnaby..." He moaned low. The blonde began to suck on him faster, his mouth moving at a speed Kotetsu knew he could never match. "Barnaby...Barnaby..." His name fell from his lips in wanton moans, his body aching to achieve the release he had been longing for since a couple of hours before. Barnaby wrapped his left hand around the base of Kotetsu's arousal, allowing his own saliva to coat his fingers. Kotetsu felt the man's hand leave his arousal, making him whine softly at the loss of pressure on his arousal. He spread his legs a bit, hoping he would give the hint to his lover as to what he was hoping for. Barnaby's tongue began to rub along the underside of his arousal as he pushed a finger against Kotetsu's entrance. The older man let out a low groan as Barnaby pushed a finger inside of him, bucking his hips gently to feel more of Barnaby's mouth on him. The blonde added a second finger, beginning to scissor him. Kotetsu began to moan his name once more. "Barnaby...so close..." The blonde looked up at him, jade eyes meeting amber, as he sucked on him harder. The tip of Barnaby's index finger pushed against Kotetsu's sweet spot, making him let out a loud roar. "There!"

His index finger pushed against the spot more as he swallowed him down to the back of his throat. Kotetsu screamed as he released, moaning senselessly as Barnaby swallowed everything down, keeping his finger pressed against the man's sweet spot as he rode out his orgasm. Kotetsu began to pant hard as Barnaby removed his fingers from inside of him, and relaxed the grip his hand had had on the blonde's hair. Falling back on the pillow he let out soft moans in between his pants as Barnaby licked him clean .

"Are you ready for more, ojiisan...?" Barnaby said, raising his head up.

"Now who can't say a name...?" Kotetsu said, chuckling breathlessly. He watched his partner get between his legs. Since Kotetsu had never been with a man before Barnaby, and Barnaby was a faithful lover (as far as Kotetsu knew, and he trusted his partner), they had decided after the first few times, condoms were no longer needed. And boy, did Kotetsu like that. It felt so much better being able to feel everything, not just through a protective prophylactic.

Kotetsu let out a low moan as he felt Barnaby press against his entrance. "Tsch," Barnaby chuckled as he pushed the tip of his arousal inside of Kotetsu, making the older man grip the bedsheets tightly. "I can say your name..." Barnaby pushed all the way inside, moaning low as he stilled his hips to allow Kotetsu's body to adjust to him. "I'd just rather call you that...especially when you let me do this to you..."

"Move..." Kotetsu groaned, wrapping a leg around Barnaby's waist. "Stop teasing the old man and just make me feel good..."

"Fine...Kotetsu..." Barnaby said, beginning to push himself deeper inside of him.

Hearing his name fall from his lips in the throes of passion made Kotetsu's heart soar. Knowing that the man inside of him was with him and no one else, that the two of them shared a connection that no one else would ever be able to touch, made him feel incredible. He pushed back against Barnaby's thrusts, meeting him each time. He moved his hips and let out a loud moan as the tip of Barnaby's arousal finally found his sweet spot. As soon as he let out that loud moan, Barnaby began to thrust faster and harder into that spot over and over. The fell into a familiar rhythm, each man trying to outdo the other with their pace. Kotetsu reached down and began to stroke himself, his arousal still a bit slick with Barnaby's saliva, making his motions a lot easier. Barnaby leaned his head down close to his ear as he thrust his hips, pushing himself in deep.

"Come, Kotetsu...I want to hear you scream my name..." Barnaby whispered breathlessly into his ear.

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu roared as he came on his hand, his body on fire as Barnaby pushed against his sweet spot relentlessly as he rode out his orgasm. He heard his lover moan low and soon felt him release inside of him, filling him with Barnaby's release. A moment later, the blonde collapsed on his chest, the two of them panting hard as they came down from their orgasm.

After resting for a moment, Barnaby slipped out of him, Kotetsu groaning at the loss of being filled, and laid down next to him on the bed. The older man wrapped his arm around his lover and pulled him close to his chest

"Can I ask you something, Kotetsu?" Barnaby asked, his hand running along Kotetsu's chest, making the man arch upwards into his touch.

"What is it?" He nuzzled the blonde's hair, breathing in the scent of the man's shampoo. _I love the way he smells. It's his smell. No one else's._

"Why do you still wear your wedding ring?" Barnaby asked, looking up at him. He met the man's jade eyes and let out a soft laugh.

"Really? You want to know why?" Kotetsu said, smiling. "I wear it because I made a promise to Tomoe." Kotetsu continued to nuzzle his Barnaby's hair, enjoying how the soft curls felt against his face.

"Ah...I see." Barnaby said, nodding his head. "That makes perfect sense."

"Are you spending the night?" Kotetsu asked, keeping his arm securely around the man.

"Is that alright?"

"Of course. I don't really want you to go. I like having you in my arms," Kotetsu said, a slight blush rising to his cheeks.

The blonde nuzzled his chest. "I'm glad." Kotetsu smiled softly. "There's that smile I was hoping to see again. Will you show that to me more often?"

"You going to keep me happy?" Kotetsu asked, a wider smile appearing on his face.

"Always," Barnaby nodded his head.

"Then, yes." He hugged the man close to him, thankful that he was so tolerant of his moods and his past. "And in case you were wondering? I love you too."

"I know, ojiisan."

"Bunnnny!" He whined softly, hating being called that.

"I know you love me. But remember, I told you first." Barnaby nuzzled his chest, causing the man to squeeze his arm around him tighter.

"Hai," Kotetsu let out a soft chuckle. "You did."

The two lay there, a calm peace finally settling over the both of them. Their admission to each other kept a smile on both of their faces as they both drifted off to sleep, recharging for a new day.

...

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><p><strong>AN**: Thanks for reading!


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